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Governing the artisanal gold mining sector in the Mano River Union: A comparative study of Liberia and Sierra Leone

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  • Amidu Kalokoh
  • Lada V. Kochtcheeva

Abstract

This paper contributes to the growing literature on the dynamics and governance challenges of artisanal mining in sub‐Saharan Africa. It examines the artisanal gold mining sector in Liberia and Sierra Leone, two neighboring post‐war countries with extensive informal economies in the gold mining sector. This comparative case study explores factors that help reveal governance struggles, including the informality of the sector, the multiplicity of actors, ineffective monitoring, and gold price differences. It underscores the informality of the sector as a more pronounced problem that offers opportunities for corruption, smuggling of gold, human rights abuses, and exploitation.

Suggested Citation

  • Amidu Kalokoh & Lada V. Kochtcheeva, 2022. "Governing the artisanal gold mining sector in the Mano River Union: A comparative study of Liberia and Sierra Leone," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(7), pages 1398-1413, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:34:y:2022:i:7:p:1398-1413
    DOI: 10.1002/jid.3643
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gisselquist, Rachel M., 2012. "Good Governance as a Concept, and Why This Matters for Development Policy," WIDER Working Paper Series 030, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Roy Maconachie & Gavin Hilson, 2011. "Artisanal Gold Mining: A New Frontier in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone?," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(4), pages 595-616.
    3. Feige, Edgar L., 1990. "Defining and estimating underground and informal economies: The new institutional economics approach," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 18(7), pages 989-1002, July.
    4. Sylvia Ojukutu-Macauley & Andrew Keili, 2008. "Citizens, subjects or a dual mandate? Artisanal miners, 'supporters' and the resource scramble in Sierra Leone," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(5), pages 513-530.
    5. Hilson, Gavin, 2012. "Family Hardship and Cultural Values: Child Labor in Malian Small-Scale Gold Mining Communities," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(8), pages 1663-1674.
    6. repec:unu:wpaper:wp2012-30 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Sinha, Anushree & Kanbur, Ravi, 2012. "Informality: Concepts, Facts And Models," Working Papers 128801, Cornell University, Department of Applied Economics and Management.
    8. Hilson, Gavin, 2008. "'A load too heavy': Critical reflections on the child labor problem in Africa's small-scale mining sector," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 1233-1245, November.
    9. Collier, Paul, 2008. "The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195374636, Decembrie.
    10. Eleanor Fisher, 2008. "Artisanal gold mining at the margins of mineral resource governance: a case from Tanzania," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(2), pages 199-213.
    11. Anushree Sinha & Ravi Kanbur, 2012. "Introduction: Informality—Concepts, Facts and Models," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 6(2), pages 91-102, May.
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    1. Henry Adobor, 2023. "Contested concept, competing narratives, and coercive policy intervention: A study of government intervention in the illegal artisanal mining sector in Ghana," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(7), pages 1814-1832, October.

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